The day, Saturday. The date, August 30, 2014. The goal, a 3rd premiership in as many years.

It all started at 9am with a breakfast at the home of the UQAFC, Oval 7. All players and their supporters turned out for what was to be a warm Saturday. After dowsing down some egg and bacon rolls, and hydrating with water, the playing group headed off at 10:00am in Maxi-Taxi’s to Giffin Park, Coorparoo, for the 2014 QAFA A Reserves Grand Final; whilst the supporters stuck around for another hour at Oval 7, sinking the cider and beers that were on offer.

Fast forward, and the day saw the mighty UQ QAFA A Reserves team taking the field to a welcoming banner- a massive thank you to both our women’s teams for putting this together- led by Coach, and AFLQ Administrator of the Year, Peter ‘Rosy’ Rosengren. With strategies in place, pep talks having taken place and the national anthem having been sung, it was time to play.

Expecting a physical affair from a Carrara side that had come ready to play, UQ started with the first clearance, but a few missed opportunities saw them lag behind. The quarter then saw momentum swing in a goal for goal battle. Carrara had a strong showing from perennial vote getter, Daniel Perriman; ball magnet, Samual Owen; and straight shooter, Jason McConchie, who scored 4 of his 5 goals by half-time. By the quarter time break, it fared as a close contest with a 25 to 21 lead in favour of the Coast team. Not much of a showing from UQ in the second term, with the team lacking a little run and continuously turning the ball over, had Carrara leading at the long break by 10 points (38-28). It wasn’t until halfway through the 3rd quarter, with UQ down by 17 points, when the mighty Red Lions, gunning for their 3rd premiership in a row, started playing footy. It was at this point that Uni went on to kick six unanswered goals, courtesy of BOG Award winner, Chris Brown, who bobbed up with 2; Daryl ‘Dazzler’ Stephenson, Evan McDowell, and Nick Davis all with their second for the game; and Neil ‘Biscuit’ Cooke with one.

It was due to a resurgent UQ back six in Tom Aitken; Matthias ‘Cheech’ Falzon; Josh Chuah; Josh Seiler; Shannon Brown and Jesse Iwaszko that saw them lead by 4 points at the ¾ time break. It was a masterstroke by Coach, Peter Rosengren, moving Josh Chuah to fullback, to play on Jason McConchie, limiting his fire power in the second half that saw UQ return to full flight. This back six was well supported by the in-and-under midfield who worked tirelessly in the second half to run Carrara off of their feet and provide drive to the forward six. The continuous run from all UQ players, thanks to their fitness training which saw them train 3 times a week- with a 5km river loop run before training on both Tuesday and Thursday; and an infamous Freers gym session every Wednesday- proved to be the difference with Uni victorious at the end of the day by 15 points (80 to 65), claiming their third successive premiership, and first under the new QAFA structure.

All players would like to sincerely thank the supporters and club members that came out to cheer us on on Saturday. It was fantastic to have so many Uni fans in full voice to get us over the line. A big thank you to all current listed, and past, players who came out to show their support, as well as all families, wives, girlfriends, partners and friends. Thank you also to President Peter Herring and all members of the UQAFC administration without whom none of this would have been possible.

We would also like to recognise the achievement/s of Coach Peter Rosengren who has now led the team to 3 premierships- back to back to back; and played in 2 of them, only missing a third due to injury. When he arrived back at the club in 2011, after a 20 year absence, he implemented a plan which has taken us from a bottom 4 side, to premier! It is through his efforts and rigorous fitness regime that we are now respected by many teams within the competition.

The University of Queensland Australian Football Club (est 1956) is one of the largest sporting clubs based on the UQ campus. Recognised by AFL athletes as the preferred club at which to develop their professional and sporting careers, the UQAFC is a professional organisation based on amateur values where the UQ AFL community can enjoy competitive success, personal and professional development and life enriching social experiences in a safe, engaging and respectful environment. The club offers UQ Sports Achievement Scholarships specifically for AFL athletes studying and playing at the University of Queensland. With teams in the QAFL, QAFA and QWAFL, the UQAFC plays matches throughout south east Queensland each season. If you would like to contact the UQAFC about our media releases please contact our Media Manager, to enquire about sponsorship opportunities please contact our Sponsorship manager, or to find out more about playing with the club please click here.

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